Seven Vehicle Crash In Mount Carmel Township

MOUNT CARMEL TOWNSHIP — Three vehicles were totaled, a business was damaged, and one person was taken to a hospital after a truck carrying coal dust lost control and smashed into a wall.

It happened along Route 61 just north of Mount Carmel after 9 a.m. Wednesday.

A total of seven vehicles were damaged, and one person was hurt.

“I could feel the ground shaking under my feet. It really sounded like a bomb,” said Andrew Youngs.

Youngs and other employees at Car Quest Auto Parts were standing behind the counter, helping a customer when a truck crashed into the building.

“I looked up from the counter just as the coal truck was turning over. I watched it slide into the building and my first thought was making sure nobody was hurt.”

“All I heard was the smash. Andy saw some dirt coming through. It happened so fast we didn’t have time to react,” said Ed Greco.

Police say the truck was coming from Columbia County to make a delivery and was going down the mid-valley mountain when the driver lost control.

Police say the truck crashed into parked vehicles, crushing the minivan and sending the truck through the building.

The truck carrying the coal dust went down an embankment and landed on a van which belongs to Laura Knopp of Mount Carmel.

“I dropped my van off about a half hour before this happened to get my brakes checked. Mr. Greco called me and said there was an accident,” she said.

“The bad part is you’ve got to call the customer and tell them the cars are damaged. That’s the bad part about it, but at least nobody got killed here,” said Tony Greco.

The driver of the tri-axle truck was hurt and was taken to a hospital. There is no word on his name or condition but police say he was alert and walking around before he left for the hospital. As for the auto parts store, it is still open.